Between Dog and Wolf: Understanding the Connection and the Confusion

Dogs are dogs and wolves are wolves. Except when they aren't!

Most scientists now agree that the dog is a subspecies of wolf: Canis lupus familiaris. And while most wolves look and act differently from most dogs, it can be very hard to make accurate identifications, especially since wolves and dogs can and do interbreed and certain breeds of dogs look and act a lot like wolves. Having spent years employed at Wolf Park, in Indiana, authors Jessica Addams and Andrew Miller have encountered hundreds of so-called wolves that turned out to be dogs, hybrids that exhibit the characteristics of both wolves and dogs, and even pure wolves that act like dogs. Between Dog and Wolf takes a fascinating look at how wolves and dogs are related, why they can be so hard to tell apart and what rescue organizations need to know when they encounter a canine of unknown origins.

You will learn:

• How and why there are so many misconceptions about wolf behavior.
• What evolutionary forces turned good social hunters (wolves) into animals whose key adaptation was to become good with people (dogs).
• Which physical and behavioral characteristics displayed by an animal tend to indicate it's a dog vs. a wolf...usually!
• The state of DNA testing and what it can and can't tell you about the genetic make-up of dogs and wolves.

Jessica Addams and Andrew Miller have nearly twenty years of collective work at Wolf Park, a non-profit education and research facility in Battle Ground, Indiana. Both started as visitors, moved up to long-term internships, and eventually became full-time staff. Besides working with wolves, they have always been involved with animals and the study of animal behavior. Their degrees are in biology and wildlife science. Jessica and Andrew own and train their own dogs and other pets, and read voraciously.